MILAN – After Saturday’s trip to Atalanta, the Nerazzurri are back on the road on Tuesday evening as they take on Napoli in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
In collaboration with Opta, check out all the stats on the match at the Stadio San Paolo:
HEAD TO HEAD
There have been ten previous Coppa Italia meetings between Napoli and Inter. As things stand, Inter have won four to Napoli’s two, while there have been a further four draws.
Napoli and Inter have faced off in three of the last five editions of the Coppa Italia, always at the quarter-final stage. The Partenopei have won two, with Inter winning the other match.
Overall, Tuesday night will be the fourth time the two sides have done battle in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. In addition to the previous three matches, Inter beat Napoli 2-0 away in January 1938,
The Nerazzurri defeated Napoli in the 1997/78 Coppa final thanks to goals from Altobelli and Bini.
Two of Napoli and Inter’s ten Coppa Italia match-ups have ended in a penalty shoot-out, with both times holding one win apiece. Napoli won through in the 1996/97 semi-finals, while the Nerazzurri triumphed in the quarter-finals of the 2010/11 edition.
The 1-1 draw is the most frequent scoreline between Inter and Napoli in the Coppa Italia. It’s come up on three occasions.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS IN NAPLES
Napoli have won their last two home matches against Inter in the Coppa Italia. Before that there had been one Inter win and a run of three consecutive draws.
The Partenopei have kept a clean sheet on each of the last three occasions they have hosted Inter in the Coppa Italia.
FORM
Napoli are taking part in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals for the fifth time in six years. During that time, the Partenopei have reached the semi-finals three times.
Napoli have failed to score just once in their last 16 Coppa Italia matches: the 1-0 home defeat by Lazio in the semi-final second leg last year.
That Lazio game is Napoli’s only defeat in their last seven Coppa Italia home games. Five wins and one draw make up the record.
Inter have made the Coppa Italia quarter-finals for the 12th time in the last 13 years. That said, the Nerazzurri haven’t reached the semi-final stage since the 2012/13 season.
Inter alternated between a win and a loss in their last five Coppa Italia matches. Their most recent outing in the competition was the win over Cagliari.
The Nerazzurri arrive at the Stadio San Paolo on Tuesday evening on the back of four consecutive away losses in the Coppa Italia, a run that has seen them score just one goal. Inter’s last away win in the competition was back in April 2011 against Roma.
Both Napoli and Inter won their quarter-finals by three goals to nil, with three different scorers bagging the goals for both sides.
GENERAL STATS
The clash at the San Paolo sees the best forward line in Serie A (Napoli with 41 goals scored) take on the best defence (Inter with 13 goals conceded).
Inter have both scored (one) and conceded (none) the fewest headed goals in the current Serie A season.
This season, only Hellas Verona (none) have scored fewer goals than Inter (three) in the first 30 minutes’ play.
Napoli have scored just five goals from set plays this season. Only Genoa (three) and Carpi (one) are less prolific from dead-ball situations.
Taking all competitions into account, both Inter and Napoli have had 12 different scorers. In Serie A meanwhile, the Partenopei have had eight different scorers to Inter’s 11.
Inter have dropped just two points this Serie A season when they have been in the lead – no other side has done better.
Napoli have been trailing for less time than any other side in Serie A this season: just 134 minutes.
Napoli (252) and Inter (263) have committed the fewest fouls in the current Serie A season.
PLAYER FOCUS
Gonzalo Higuain has always scored when Inter come to play at the Stadio San Paolo, with five goals in four matches in Serie A and the Coppa Italia. Higuain has scored 22 goals in 24 appearances this season for Napoli. El Pipita has decided both the Coppa Italia quarter-finals he’s played in for Napoli, scoring in both the 1-0 win over Lazio in 2013/14 and the 1-0 defeat of Inter in 2014/15.
Jose Callejon scored his first goal this season against Sassuolo on Saturday. The Spanish winger is, alongside Dries Mertens, one of two Napoli players to score in three competitions this season. Since he joined the club, Callejon is Napoli’s leading scorer in the Coppa Italia with four goals.
Manolo Gabbiadini has already scored against Inter in the Coppa Italia: it came back in January 2013, when he was still a Bologna player. That match – which finished 3-2 to Inter – featured the Nerazzurri’s last goals in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals: Fredy Guarin, Rodrigo Palacio and Andrea Ranocchia scored them.
Palacio opened the scoring in Inter’s 3-0 win over Cagliari in this year’s Coppa Italia round of 16, but is still without a goal in Serie A this season. Palacio has scored five goals in his last five Coppa Italia games.
Marcelo Brozovic and Ivan Perisic are the two Inter players to have scored in both of the competitions the Nerazzurri are competing in this season.
Samir Handanovic has stopped a total of four Napoli penalties, making them his favoured opposition from the spot.
COACHES
Last season’s defeat was Roberto Mancini’s only Coppa Italia match against Napoli as a coach.
As a player, Roberto Mancini won the 1988/89 Coppa Italia final at the expense of Napoli and even scored in the second leg.
Maurizio Sarri has contested a Coppa Italia quarter-final on one prior occasion: in 2006/07, his Arezzo side were eliminated by AC Milan despite winning the second leg at home.
